Mechanical hobby horse



Oc t. 13,1959 L. E. YETTER MECHANICAL HOBBY HORSE Filed Nov. 26, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l W 5' V W W M flw fi a v El United States Patent This invention relatesto improvements in amusement devices, especially, to a mechanical hobby horse, being 7 an improvement upon the invention illustrated, described and claimed in my patent numbered 2,801,104, issued July 30, 1957.

More particularly stated, it is an object of the present invention to provide to the hobby horse or to the rider carrying body a beneficially improved oscillatory or pivotal mounting of such construction that interchange with or replacement by another body may be quickly and easily efiected should such be desired or required and the weight of said body reduced to a minimum, thereby eliminating top-heaviness and the hazard of topplingthe complete assembly, especially, when the rider carrying body is mounted or is occupied by a rider, thus, afiording greater operation and/or usage stabilty.

It is another object of the invention to provide a mechanical hobby horse and drive therefor which may be quickly and satisfactorily assembled and in which the hobby horse or rider carrying body and the drive mechanism are each separate and complete constituent parts capable of interrelationing and/ or connection in a minimum of time and with a minimum of labor with the drive mechanism below and apart from said body whereby to afford safety securing ballast thereto and additionally, to avoid drive transmitted vibration to the body as in an instance where the drive mechanism would be carried by or mounted in that body. 0

A further and important object of the invention is to provide a mechanical hobby horse in which the component parts thereof, i.e., the hobby horse body and the drive mechanism are so constructed that when disassembled or separate they will beof minimum size or overall area and hence, may be boxed, crated or otherwise packed for shipment with greater convenience, economy and security.

The foregoing, as well as other objects, advantages and meritorious teachings of my invention will be in part obvious and in part pointed out in the following detailed disclosure thereof, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it being understood that the form of the invention presented herein is precise and what is now considered to be the best mode of embodying its principles, but that other modifications and changes may be made in specific embodiments without departing from its essential features.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partially in section, of the improved mechanical hobby horse.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the housed base showing the drive mechanism for the hobby horse in side elevation.

Figure 3 is a horizontal longitudinal section taken on the line 33 of Figure 2 looking in the direction in which the arrows point.

Figure 4 is a detail in horizontal Section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1 looking in the direction in which the arrows point.

Figure 5 is a detail in vertical section taken on the line 2,908,500 Patented Oct. 13, 1959 2 5-5 of Figure 1 looking in the direction in which the arrows point, and enlarged, and s Figure 6 is a fragmentary detail in vertical section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 3 looking in the direction in which the arrows point. 0

Referring in detail to the drawings, the invention, generally stated, comprises a support base 1 having a column 2 anchored in and rising from a substantially medial por tion of the same, a drive mechanism 3, a hobby horse or other form of rider carrying body 4 pivotally supported on the upper end of the column, and a reciprocal motion transmitting means 5 driven by the drive mechanism and connected to the body 4, all hereinafter more fully described. It is preferred that a housing 6 shall be provid to the base and drive mechanism.

-The base 1 consists of a rectangularly shaped bed made of side bars 7 of angle metal or other suitable material having relatively spaced transversely disposed support bars 8 suitably secured at their opposite ends to adjacent portions of the side bars, as by welding, etc.

The column 2 rises from the intermediate support bar of the bed, being fixedly or permanently secured at its base thereto in the manner shown in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings. The height of the column is such that the rider carrying body 4, carried by its outer end, will be arranged at a height convenient for access thereto or mounting thereon, usually by juveniles.

In addition to receiving and supporting the column 2, the bed serves to receive and support the drive mechanism 3. Said mechanism includes a prime mover, preferably an electrical motor 9, the base 9' of which straddles two of the bed supportbars 8 outwardly of the column 2, and a belt and pulley constituted motion transmission connected to the motor and to a driven shaft 10 disposed transversely of the opposite end portion of said bed in parallel relation to the motor armature shaft, journalled in appropriate bearings 11 fixedly connected to and supported by two of the support bars in proximity to said opposite end portion.

The motor armature shaft fixedlymounts thereon a pulley 12 receiving an endless belt 13, the remaining end of which is received about and drives a larger pulley 14, for speed reduction mounted on one end of a countersha-ft 15 disposed transversely of the bed and journalled in appropriate bearings 16 carried by the intermediate support bar 8 in proximity to the aforesaid column 2. A second and smaller pulley 17 is mounted on the remaining end of the counter-shaft. It receives thereabout a second endless belt 18 whose remaining end is engaged about a larger and driven pulley 19 mounted on the outer end of the driven shaft, also for speed reduction.

In order that the belt 18 shall be maintained tight over and about the pulleys 17 and 19 for drive transmitting efficiencies, I may, and preferably do, provide thereto a tightener in the form of a small idler pulley 20 mounted on a stub-shaft journalled in an appropriate bearing 21 carried on the outer end of a spring loaded arm 22 pivotally mounted, as at 23, on the bed or an adjacent bearing 11. Under urge of the spring 24, one end of which is connected to a fixed vertical bracket arm 25 on the bed and the other of the bearing 21, the belt tightener idler pulley 20 will remain in upwardly thrusted engagement with the lower side of the endless belt 18 and hence, will assure its effectual peripheral engagement with said pulleys 17 and 19.

A hobby horse body 4 having an open or partially open underside, or other form of rider carrying body, is pivotally supported on the upper and flat end of the column 2. To effect such mounting, a bracket 26 of shape generally conforming to that of the inner side of the hobby horse back and contiguous portion of the neck arch is received within and longitudinally of said body in the manner shown in Figure 1 and is fixedly connected thereto by bolts 27 or the like. The outer end of the angularly disposed portion of the bracket has a downwardly extending pivot arm 28 thereon (see Figures 1 and the purpose of which will be presently described, while its intermediate and normally horizontal portion is formed or otherwise provided with a substantially right angularly related supporting leg 29, of a length not greater than the depth of the body 4, carrying bearing pintles 30 on its lower and free end. Said pintles are journalled in bearings-31 fixedly mounted on the upper and flat end of the column 2 (see Figure 4). Thus, it will be appreciated that the bracket 26 is in pivotally supported relation to the column 2 and with pivoting thereof, the hobby horse body 4 will be oscillated.

The reciprocal motion transmitting means 5 functions to effect oscillation of the hobby horse body. It consists of a sectional pitman bar 32 carrying an annular race-way fitting 33 on its lower end. Said race-way fitting is rotatably received on and about a disk 34 eccentrically mounted on the drive shaft 10. If desired, anti-frictional bearings 35 may be received between the outer and inner peripheries of the race-way fitting and eccentric disk. The upper end of the pitman 32 is pivotally connected at 36 to the pivot arm 28 on the bracket 26. In consequence, as and when the drive mechanism 3 is operated, the hobby horse 4 will be oscillated at a rate of speed dependent upon the speed of operation of said mechanism.

It is here noted that the lengths of the pitman sections are such that the upper section will be contained entirely within the hobby horse body 4; therefore, when these sections are disconnected by removing the bolts 37, said upper section will be carried and/or contained by and within the body and hence, protected from damage, etc. as and when the device is disassembled and crated or otherwise prepared for shipment.

The base and drive mechanism housing 6 is constructed in a manner to provide end and side walls and a flat top, the latter being preferably reinforced, as at 38, whereby to serve as a platform onto and from which riders of the mechanical hobby horse may stop in safety. Suitable openings are, of course, formed in the flat top to permit passage of the column 2 and pitman 32 therethrough, as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings.

Operation of the drive mechanism, especially the electrical motor 9, may be controlled by coin operated mechanism generally illustrated and indicated by the numeral 39 mounted on a supporting column 40 which, in turn, is secured to an appropriate portion of the housing 6, as at 41, in a manner to be readily and conveniently accessible. Said coin operated, mechanism 39, it will be understood, is so constructed that with the depositing of a coin therein, the electrical feed circuit in which the motor 9 is included, will be closed, hence, said motor will be energized and operated and thereby initial rotary motion will be delivered to the aforedescribeddrive mechanism 3. Aside from its convenience to the end of providing for controlled operation of the mechanical hobby horse, the coin operated mechanism forms no part of my invention. Any approved type of such mechanism may be employed, such as conditions or preference may dictate.

From the foregoing description, it'is believed that the operation of my improved mechanical hobby horse will be understood. It is of moment to here note, however, that because of the assembly of the hobby horse body mounting bracket 26 and the upper section of the pitman 32 in a manner whereby they are housed completely within said body, these components of construction will (1) by shielded against damage, and (2), being contained completely within the body, they will not interfere with the packaging or other preparation of the Same for shipment. Moreover, because convenient and ready access may be had to said mounting bracket and upper section of the pitman, it will be understood that assembly of the mechanical hobby horse, i.e., the mounting of the body 4 on the column 2 and the interconnection of the pitman sections, will be greatly facilitated and 'accomplishable by unskilled labor. Also, because the major portion of the weight of the assembled device will be contained within the housing 6 on the base 1, the hazard of toppling of the hobby horse as and when being mounted, ridden or dismounted, will be substantially eliminated; furthermore, the transmission of vibration from the driving mechanism to the hobby horse or other rider carrying body provided to the device will be eliminated.

I claim:

1. An amusement device, comprising a base, a drive mechanism including a driven shaft housed and supported within the base, fixed supporting means in and extended above the base, a hollow rider carrying body, a bracket within and fixedly connected to an upper portion of the body, said bracket having a depending leg the length of which is less than the depth of the hollow body and terminates within the same, means for detachably pivotally mounting the free and lower end of said leg on the extended portion of said supporting means, a pitman consisting of detachably connected upper and lower sections, the upper section being pivotally connected at its free and upper end to said bracket and having its remaining end terminating within the hollow body, and the lower section of the pitman extending without and below said hollow body and connected to said driven shaft eccentrically of its axis.

2. An amusement device, comprising a base, a drive mechanism including a driven shaft housed and supported within the base, a column fixedly supported in and extended above the base, a hollow rider carrying body, a bracket within and fixedly connected to the upper portion of the body longitudinally thereof, said bracket having an intermediately disposed depending leg the length of which is less than the depth of the hollow body whereby it terminates within said body, means for detachably pivotally mounting the free end of said leg on the extended end portion of said column, a pitman consisting of detachably connected upper and lower sections, the upper section being disposed laterally of and normally substant-ially parallel to saidleg and pivotally connected at its free and upper end to said bracket and having its remaining end terminating within the hollow body, and the lower section of the pitman extending without and below said hollow body and connected to said driven shaft eccentrically of its axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

